


Tears In The Rain

by itschaosupthere



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Kissing in the Rain, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 18:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20550536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itschaosupthere/pseuds/itschaosupthere
Summary: After Baekhyun comes home from work late and rejects the picnic dinner that Chanyeol has made for him, they argue and Chanyeol storms out of the apartment. He doesn't come back for hours, leaving Baekhyun no choice but to run out after him into the rain.





	Tears In The Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small something while I work on my next massive, angsty, mpreg Chanbaek fic because it looks like that's just my brand now. I am more than ok with it.

Ordinarily, Baekhyun would have taken the stairs up to his apartment, but given the way that his feet felt like they were about to drop off, he ended up trudging into the elevator. He glanced at his watch and sighed a little when he saw that it was nearly midnight. His shift had run on an extra three hours from when he was supposed to have finished, however the hotel was playing host to a massive law firm's annual staff party and as one of the managers, Baekhyun had found it difficult to get away, someone always seeming to need him every time he thought it would be ok to leave. As a result, he was exhausted. He couldn’t think of anything better in that moment than taking a quick shower and climbing into bed next to his boyfriend.

He fumbled to get his key in the door, his brain already trying to shut down for sleep, but eventually managed to get it open. He dumped his bag by the door and hung up his coat as he kicked off his shoes. He only noticed the candlelight when he turned around and looked properly into the rest of the space. It was dark in the apartment but there were candles dotted around the living area: on the coffee table, the bookcase, the window ledge. Baekhyun frowned, wondering what they were for. He knew the weather had been storming on and off all night, but he hadn’t been aware of any power cuts.

"Oh you’re home!" Chanyeol suddenly appeared, coming out of the bedroom. He went to give Baekhyun his usual bear hug, grinning all the while.

"What’s with the candles?" Baekhyun asked, smiling as he felt a kiss press onto his temple. Coming home to Chanyeol was like wrapping yourself under a duvet on a cold day and letting the warmth envelope you from the inside out.

"Come over, I made you dinner." Chanyeol took his hand and started pulling him over to the sofa. Baekhyun then noticed that the coffee table had been pushed back to make space for a blanket on the floor where a full picnic had been laid out.

"Oh… gosh." Baekhyun remarked, suddenly feeling guilty.

"I figured you’d be starving after your shift." Chanyeol clambered down onto the blanket, crossing his awkwardly long legs.

"A-actually…" Baekhyun didn’t sit down. "I’m really tired, Chanyeol." He didn’t mention that he’d already eaten at work, it didn’t seem necessary.

"Aww come on, I spent ages on this." Chanyeol beckoned him down but Baekhyun wouldn’t budge.

"I’m sorry, I just really need to sleep. Couldn’t we eat it tomorrow?"

Chanyeol’s smile finally dimmed. "Seriously?"

"It’s picnic food, isn’t it? It’ll keep." Baekhyun pointed out, trying to be helpful, but he could now see that he’d annoyed Chanyeol despite the latter trying not to show it. "I’m sorry."

"Fine." Chanyeol muttered. "It’s fine." He began shoving the containers of food into the basket he’d set out.

"Chanyeol—."

"I said it’s fine. Go to bed." He got up and took the food with him so that he could put it in the fridge. Baekhyun didn’t heed his instruction and followed him over to the kitchen. There was something else going on here, Chanyeol never got pissed off over little things.

"What’s wrong?" He questioned.

"Nothing." Chanyeol shrugged. He stacked the containers with a little more force than required then slammed the fridge door shut.

"Well, it’s clearly something."

"Just go to bed!" Chanyeol cried. He immediately looked regretful, as if he hadn’t meant to raise his voice. "Sorry." He muttered. His eyes turned downcast and he fiddled with the pot of utensils on the island counter.

Baekhyun took a steadying breath. "Are you still mad that I missed movie night last week?"

"No, no, it’s not that." Chanyeol snapped, his voice getting louder again.

"Then what is it?!" Baekhyun demanded. He couldn’t quite believe that this was turning into an argument.

Chanyeol actually let out a growl. "I just… I worked hard on the— on the stupid picnic." He scrubbed his hand over his face and through his hair, trying to calm his breathing. He looked like he was mentally berating himself for the things churning about in his mind.

"Well I told you we can have it tomorrow."

"No, it’s not the same." Chanyeol shook his head. "Never mind."

"Don’t be childish." Baekhyun said before he could stop himself and Chanyeol threw him a venomous look. He clenched his jaw and huffed air out of his nose, clearly trying to stop himself from getting angry.

Then suddenly he was marching across the apartment and snatching his coat off the hooks.

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun was incredulous. "Chanyeol?! What are you doing?"

"I’m going out." Chanyeol grunted, putting on his shoes.

"Wait, no, stop. This is stupid. I’m sorry I had to work late, I wish I could have come home and eaten with you, but I just couldn’t manage to leave! Chanyeol, stop!" Baekhyun chased after his boyfriend as he flung open the door and went out into the corridor. "Where are you going?!" But Chanyeol just kept moving further away. "Chanyeol!!"

After his tall frame had disappeared into the stairwell, Baekhyun realised that Chanyeol really was serious about leaving. He stood in the doorway of their apartment, not quite believing what had just happened. Minutes passed and Chanyeol didn’t come back up the stairs. Baekhyun went inside. He wandered about in a complete daze, wondering whether he should start chasing after the other boy, but still expecting him to come straight back. It was after nearly half an hour had gone by that he accepted Chanyeol wasn’t coming back anytime soon. Baekhyun’s tiredness vanished.

-

At two in the morning, Baekhyun tried ringing Kyungsoo. He knew it was an ungodly hour and his friend was likely to bite his ear off if he woke him up, but he was getting worried now. He’d blown out all the candles, turning the lamp on instead, and was sat on the sofa wrapped in the blanket that had previously been on the floor. The call went through to voicemail unsurprisingly. He tried again. On the ninth ring, Kyungsoo picked up, or so Baekhyun thought.

"Baek? It’s two in the morning." It was Jongin.

"I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to do. Chanyeol left his phone here and he’s been gone for so long now and I don’t know where he is. He hasn’t come to your house, has he? Please tell me you know where he is-"

"Baek! Slow down. What’s wrong with Chanyeol?"

Baekhyun breathed slowly in and out. He could hear the sounds of Kyungsoo waking up in the background. "We had a fight and he just _left._ He hasn’t been back for almost two hours."

"And he didn’t take his phone or anything?"

"No, I tried calling it, but it went off in the bedroom." Baekhyun could feel his throat getting tight. His eyes stung. "He didn’t come to your house then."

"No, we haven’t heard from him. Sorry Baek." Jongin said solemnly. "Oh, Kyungsoo wants to talk."

"Baekhyun?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you tried ringing Yoora?"

"She’s out of town." Baekhyun sighed. Chanyeol’s sister lived only a few streets away, it’d make sense for him to go there. "I haven’t rung Sehun yet though. I… I thought he’d be back by now." His heart lurched as the rain suddenly picked up outside and smattered against the window.

"Was your fight really that bad?"

"No! It was so stupid and meaningless. I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong." His voice finally cracked, and a tear slipped down his cheek.

Kyungsoo sighed. "Listen, we’ll let you know if he turns up here. Try Sehun."

"Mmhm." Baekhyun nodded, not trusting his voice to speak anymore.

"He won’t have gone far. It’s pouring down."

"Hah yeah." He tried to smile but couldn’t. "Thanks for your help."

He told them to go back to sleep and hung up the phone, lasting all of five seconds before bursting into tears. He grabbed a tissue to blow his nose as he willed away the sobs in order to call Sehun. He blearily searched for the younger boy in his phonebook, sniffling pathetically, and took a few deep breaths before he lifted the phone back up to his ear.

But Sehun didn’t answer. Not on the first attempt, or the second, or the third. Baekhyun threw his phone back into the sofa cushions and let himself cry again, the rain outside getting louder at the same time. He thought of Chanyeol wandering about in the downpour, angry and upset, but Baekhyun still didn’t know why exactly. He’d replayed the argument over and over again in his head, trying to decipher what it was that had caused such a dramatic turn of events, and every time came up with nothing.

Aside from the aforementioned movie night – when Baekhyun had completely forgotten about it and stayed for drinks with his colleagues at the hotel bar, leaving Chanyeol to ring him up with thinly veiled resentment in his voice – they had not argued in months. Even then, they had never properly fallen out. It was always just silly bickering, after which they’d forgiven each other and made up so quickly it was like the disagreement had never happened. It made the magnitude of Chanyeol storming out without much explanation even worse. Baekhyun curled in on himself, feeling pain in his chest, unable to stop the tears rolling down his cheeks.

-

At quarter to three, Baekhyun got up from the sofa, threw his coat and shoes back on and ran out of the apartment. He didn’t have any idea which way to go or how long he’d have to spend looking, he just knew he had to find Chanyeol. He_ had_ to. He’d been gone for nearly three hours now and if he hadn’t gone to anywhere in particular then that that meant he’d been walking around in the rain for all that time and Baekhyun couldn’t stand it any longer.

He sprinted down the stairs and out into the street, looking left and right for some indication as to which way he should go, his instincts told him left and down the hill, so he did. He skidded through puddles, splashing water into his shoes, his feet thudding along the pavement as he jogged down the road. There was a 24-hour convenience store up ahead and Baekhyun headed towards it, but when he got there and looked through the windows, all he saw was an older lady mopping the floors. He pushed off from the building and kept going.

He ran all the way down to the main street before he had to stop and catch his breath. There was barely anybody about which was understandable given the time, a couple of cars passed by as Baekhyun leant against a wall and tried to figure out which way to go from there. It was only then that it occurred to him that Chanyeol could have driven somewhere and a burst of panic shot through him until he remembered he’d put Chanyeol’s phone next to his car keys when he’d discovered that he hadn’t taken it with him.

Baekhyun bit his lip. His eyes were stinging again but he pushed down the urge to break down. He needed to focus and think. Where would Chanyeol go in the middle of the night when he was upset? Well, he’d already tried ringing their friends, and his sister wasn’t an option, hardly anything was open at that time of night, and he didn’t have a phone on him. Baekhyun let out a frustrated cry.

He began walking along the street and back into the suburban areas until he spotted the park up ahead. It was as good a bet as any. Baekhyun picked up his speed and flew through the iron gate that was too rusted to ever lock properly. He ran out across the grass and over to the children’s play area, but there was no one sat morosely on the swings like he’d half expected there to be. The weather was whirling back into a storm, rain pelting down with brute force. Baekhyun squinted into the night and tried calling Chanyeol’s name but it was swallowed up by the howling wind.

He ran on, going down to the pond and the rose garden and the bandstand… still no Chanyeol. Baekhyun kept yelling his name, getting more desperate by the minute. It was when he came upon a bench that look out over the edge of the hill onto the city below, that his voice gave out and he crumpled onto the seat. The tears had already started falling, mingling with the raindrops on his face. With shaking hands, Baekhyun pulled his phone out of his pocket, dimly hoping that maybe Chanyeol had finally gone back home and rung him. But there were no missed calls, no text messages. It was radio silence.

He looked out to the view before him, at the city skyline and the thunderous clouds beyond, flickering every so often as lightening struck. He could try going to Sehun’s apartment, the younger boy might still be asleep but Chanyeol could have gone there and sat on his doorstep or something… Or maybe he’d gone to his sisters and done that… Maybe she had a spare key that only Chanyeol knew about!

Maybe he should go back home and, if Chanyeol didn’t turn up by morning, call the police.

Either way, he couldn’t stay on that bench with rain soaking through to his skin until the park keeper came across him and assumed he was some drunken, homeless urchin. Baekhyun threw his face into his hands, squeezing his eyes shut and letting broken sobs fall from his lips.

…

"Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun snapped his head up and peered around, eyes trying to adjust to the dark again. He heard footsteps coming towards him.

"_Baekhyun?!_ Oh my god."

Finally, he caught sight of the figure running over to him and the face that caught the flare of the lightening.

"Chanyeol!!" He cried out and threw himself into the other’s arms, not caring about the dampness of their clothes. "Chanyeol…" He whispered brokenly, clinging for dear life. He couldn’t let him go again.

"Baek, it’s ok, I’m sorry." Chanyeol held him fiercely. "I heard you calling my name and I thought I was imagining it."

"I was trying to find you." Baekhyun pulled back and weakly pummelled his fists against Chanyeol’s body. "Why did you leave?!" He sobbed. "What did I do?!"

"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry." Chanyeol caught his wrists to stop the pathetic thumps and looked deeply into Baekhyun eyes. The rain was still buffeting against them in sheets with the wind. Water trickled down their faces, making it hard to see, but Baekhyun knew every inch of Chanyeol’s skin, every freckle, every scar. "I shouldn’t have left, I was being stupid but I— I really did work hard on the food and everything. I just wanted it all to be perfect. And maybe I should have planned it better, on a night you weren’t working late, but I just couldn’t wait any longer."

"Wait for what?" Baekhyun blinked up at the other boy and saw the love that was reflected in his own heart.

"Well if everything had gone to plan… I would have given you this." Chanyeol dropped their hands and reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a small velvet box. "I would have said that you mean everything to me. That I never thought I could be as happy as I am with you and that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you as happy as I am for the rest of our lives."

Baekhyun felt his heart thud against his chest and his breath come out in shudders. He was probably crying again, but he couldn’t tell or care as he watched Chanyeol clumsily get down on one knee.

"This isn’t at all how I pictured this." He laughed. "But… Baekhyun, I’ll never run away again. All I’ve ever wanted is to be by your side forever so… will you marry me?"

Baekhyun fell to his knees and let out a choked cry. "Yes." He managed to say and giggled despite himself. "Yes."

Then Chanyeol was crying. He fumbled to get the ring out of the box with his cold, shivering hands, but he managed it and slid the platinum band onto Baekhyun’s finger. They were laughing and sobbing and kissing all at once, the rain still pummelling down upon them. Baekhyun brushed the sopping wet hair out of Chanyeol’s eyes and pressed a single, heart-stopping kiss onto his lips.

"I love you so much." He whispered.

Chanyeol sighed in content, returning the kiss. "I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are so, so appreciated, I couldn't be more grateful for your feedback on my works <3


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